"Insurers Needled on Vaccines"

liver411

Boston Herald (www.bostonherald.com) (11/19/03) P. 2; Lasalandra, Michael

The Massachusetts Department of Health's new commissioner, Christy
Ferguson, has put forth the idea that the state should pay less for
childhood vaccinations, and that insurers should pay more.  The state
currently has the best immunization rate in the United States.  Ferguson is
looking for areas to cut costs and thought that one option might be to
reduce spending for vaccines, as long as insurance companies are willing to
pick up the slack.  Dr. Sean Palfrey, president of the Massachusetts
chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that the state paid $17
million in 2002 for vaccines, with the federal government providing $25
million.


INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Vaccine Blunder Leaves Hundreds Risking Diseases"
Glasgow Evening Times (Scotland) (www.eveningtimes.co.uk) (11/20/03) P. 6;
Anderson, Deborah

The National Health Service in Lanarkshire, Scotland, is contacting over
200 patients after discovering that a number of vaccinations given at
Clarkston Medical Centre used vaccines that had passed their expiration
dates.  The vaccinations may not provide enough immunity, and a phone help
line has been set up for those who think they may have received one of the
injections.  "We can understand that people will be concerned but can
assure them that the risk to their health is minimal," says Public Health
Medicine Consultant Dr. David Cromie.  Some of the vaccinations may have
been given over two years ago, and the vaccines given include all childhood
vaccinations as well as tetanus and polio vaccines for adults.

_______________________________________________________________